Tuesday, 15 February 2011

Who ate all the peanuts?................................................................

My peanut feeders have taken a hammering this week.
A garden watch on Sunday and I discovered why..........
"You've seen me trying this before.......... but I still can't work it out"

I only take what I need.....

 .....and so do I
 They are very tasty .....so

Ready.....Steady.....

GO!
onwards and upwards
a few acrobatics and.....

..... VOILA!

A peanut in my mouth  ( or was that six, seven or maybe eight? )
I prefer it down here...... the acrobats can use the feeders I just like to eat
This is the first Grey Squirrel I have seen in my garden this year and to be honest I can't remember the last time I had one. I used to see them all the time when I first moved here in 2005 but I have just checked my old garden images and the last time I took a photograph of one in the garden was way back in June 2008.
I am now going to have to get some squirrel proof feeders..
Feeding the wild birds is getting very expensive.
at

27 comments:

  1. Anonymous15 February 2011 at 19:22

    I wish you luck trying to outsmart the grey tree rats :-)
    Wonder why you were free of them for so long. Nice sequence Andrew. All those conversations.

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  2. mick15 February 2011 at 19:39

    Great photos. I loved the ones of the persistent squirrel!

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  3. FAB15 February 2011 at 20:33

    I used to use that type of feeder but the Squirrels ripped it apart!
    Lovely series Andrew ... now I must reorder some seed.

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  4. Martha Z15 February 2011 at 20:55

    I am fortunate not to have a squirrel problem with my feeders. Now, if I can just solve my rabbit problem with the garden plants.

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  5. leschornmom15 February 2011 at 21:01

    I have to say that I adore squirls! They make things interesting, if nothing else! your photos, as always are fantatic! My children love them everytime the come here!

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  6. joo15 February 2011 at 21:19

    Superb series! I love the squirrel - ours are red, but also love coming to feeders:)

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  7. Hilke Breder15 February 2011 at 21:21

    Andrew, maybe the pigeons is tossing a peanut out of the hopper tray by hammering on the feeder? Re Gray Squirrels, aren't they being hunted down due to their threatening Red Squirrels with some kind of deadly viral infection? I thought I read it somewhere.

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  8. theconstantwalker15 February 2011 at 22:15

    Hilke. The Greys were introduced from North America in the 19th Century and they have become the dominant species reducing our native Red population to survive in just a few small areas of the UK. The Greys are also decimating our wild birds as they take eggs from nests which is of real concern. My personal view is we brought them over here so its not their fault.

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  9. Sondra15 February 2011 at 23:40

    I heard that the Bird Flu had caused decreases in the number of Squirrels! Could be--HERE we are over run by them. They are fun to watch tho...Love the photos.

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  10. grammie g16 February 2011 at 00:32

    Hi Andrew....Ooouch...does this mean we are going to be enemies..lol! ; }}
    What kind of nuts are they..I don't seem to see them here!! There is some in a mix that looks like them but can't get them separate!!
    This year I purchased some feeders that are squirrel proof ,but they figured out that if they( Gray Squirrels) can get on the feeder..make it sway..then the seeds fall and they scramble down and get them!!
    They can be comical but very destructive!!
    Liked your post, photos, and captions,especially like the first one...pretty funny!!

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  11. Beatrice P. Boyd16 February 2011 at 00:38

    Andrew, I have to agree with you about the cost of feeding widl birds, especially if the squirrels come visiting. Here it's the unwelcome visits of blackbirds, starlings and grackles that empty the feeders. I so enjoy the cardinals, juncos, sparrows, and even blue jays but it's becoming more of a challenge for them to get any of the food before it's spilled out of the feeders or all devoured. We have not had any squirrels.

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  12. Sally in WA16 February 2011 at 01:17

    Nice series! I enjoyed your sense of humor in your post. I don't see many gray squirrels in my yard either. Guess that's a good thing!

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  13. jeanlivingsimple16 February 2011 at 05:12

    Great post! I battle the grey Squirrels also...but they are entertaining.:)

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  14. Stewart M16 February 2011 at 06:48

    These pictures remind me of a cracking (well I think its cracking anyway!) picture of a wood pigeon I took a while ago - think I will have to dig it out and put on the Wednesday bird page.

    Really like the sequence in these pictures.

    Stewart M

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  15. Anonymous16 February 2011 at 14:56

    Love your photos and accompanying text!

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  16. grammie g16 February 2011 at 15:23

    Hi Andrew..in my first comment I asked what kind of nuts which was dumb...you said peanuts What I want to know is are they raw peanuts especially for the birds..and a occasional Squirrel lol!!

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  17. theconstantwalker16 February 2011 at 17:34

    Hi grammie, Yes the peanuts are raw and are sold pre-packed in the UK just for our wild birds. Our pet stores and garden centres offer a wide range of feeders and a variety of bird food aimed to satisfy all our garden species.
    A very profitable business.

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  18. ShySongbird16 February 2011 at 19:27

    Hi Andrew, I have only just discovered your blog but am glad I have.

    Squirrels very rarely visit my garden but the Wood Pigeons devour vast amounts of seed and try their best to eat from even the smallest of hanging feeders!

    Lovely photos and very amusing captions :)

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  19. Empty Nester16 February 2011 at 19:49

    They are all over the place here. Tucker has been outside all day chasing 5 of them out of the yard!

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  20. tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com16 February 2011 at 22:10

    I`m sitting here cracking up,how comical!Really nice pictures,Andrew,phylliso

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  21. Bill S.16 February 2011 at 22:41

    We have the wrong name for these animals. Instead of squirrels they should be called pigs. The Red-tailed hawks here take care of them quickly.

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  22. Sallie (FullTime-Life)16 February 2011 at 23:06

    Good luck on the squirrel-proofing -- those little guys seem to be able to outwit the best-laid plans. At least that was our experience. Our daughter gave us a video that was on TV here but came originally from BBC that shows very entertaining footage of the squirrels getting that seed no matter what the homeowner tried to do. (Very entertaining for everybody but the person who kept trying to foil them -- it gets expensive to feed a squirrel!)

    Your pictures are fabulous!

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  23. Mike B. @ slugyard.com17 February 2011 at 05:08

    Aah squirrels. Is there any bird feeder they can't infiltrate?

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  24. firebrace17 February 2011 at 20:36

    i know some folk hate greys with a passion,but you can`t help admire their tenacity and agility when it comes to robbing the feeders. i`m looking forward to seeing red squirrels when i go to scotland in summer. really enjoying your blog andrew, you should be working for the cheshire tourist board !!

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  25. Jill17 February 2011 at 22:25

    That is sooo funny! We have a squirrel problem too. It drives me nuts. I enjoyed these photos.

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  26. Larry18 February 2011 at 01:58

    Hilarious post Andrew. We have some Western Gray Squirrels here we call tree squirrels (as opposed to ground squirrels). They have learned how to hang upside down and eat out of my tube feeders.

    I think I spend far more money on feeding finches Nyjer seed though than the bit of sunflower seed eaten by the squirrels.

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  27. NatureFootstep18 February 2011 at 15:50

    oh, dear, this was fun. Thank you for posting that. They all like peanuts. :)

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